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Dec 14 Names: North Canterbury will remove racist names

- in recognition of the country's growing multicultural nature

Three place names in North Canterbury containing the word ‘n*****’ will be changed to reflect the offence caused by that word, Land Information Minister Louise Upston has announced. The new names will be listed in the Gazetteer, the official record of New Zealand place names, on December 15, 2016.

These changes include:

N***** Stream, near Arthur’s Pass, will now officially be named Pūkio Stream after a native grass (Carex Secta) found in the area.

N*****head, which is above Lake Sumner, will be called Tawhai Hill after a species of native Beech Tree found in the South Island.

N***** Hill, to the east of Arthur’s Pass, will be renamed Kānuka Hills after a species of native tea tree that grows in the area.

“These names reflect a time when attitudes towards this word were markedly different to what they are now. It is a word that is clearly offensive to most people today, so I am pleased to make this decision. This isn’t about rewriting history – it is and will remain a matter of public record that these three places used to carry different names,” noted the Minister.

“However, in a society like ours that is multicultural and where most New Zealanders do not go out of their way to be offensive or exclude others, I do not believe this word has a place in our official names," she added.

Changes to place names can be proposed by any member of the public and are considered by the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa.